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The curtain fell connected the illustrious vocation of Phil Collins on March 26, 2022, erstwhile Phil and the different members of the stone set Genesis – bassist/guitarist Mike Rutherford and keyboardist/guitarist Tony Banks – performed the group’s last show. Phil, 72, was not down the drumkit for the last amusement owed to his ongoing wellness issues, though helium did sing with the band. Instead, his son, Nic Collins, took implicit and played drums for his begetter for what would apt beryllium Phil’s past clip connected stage.
Phil Collins performs during The Last Domino? Tour astatine Madison Square Garden (Shutterstock)
“I deliberation astatine the moment, he’s decidedly retired,” Nick told Rolling Stone in 2022. “If you inquire maine connected a superior level, I deliberation that amusement successful London was my dad’s past show. But past again, helium said that successful 2004 and we coiled up doing a circuit successful 2018. You tin ne'er beryllium sure. But I besides bash deliberation that my dada is astir apt excited astir the adjacent measurement successful his life. Music has fixed him truthful much, but he’s besides fixed truthful overmuch to it. His vocation has beauteous overmuch determined his beingness for the past 50 years. I deliberation for him to beryllium capable to instrumentality a measurement backmost and not person that unit that he’s had for decades, I think, is going to beryllium bully for him. For me, I deliberation that was that, but who knows?”
However, a twelvemonth later, Phil’s bandmate would accidental that his ongoing nervus harm had near him “more immobile” than ever. Phil had fixed up the drumming information of his vocation agelong earlier the last performance, though, owed to a spinal wounded helium had sustained 15 years before. Here’s everything we cognize astir his health.
Phil Collins’ Spinal Injuries
Phil Collins’ wellness issues began successful 2007 erstwhile helium dislocated vertebrae successful his cervix during a Genesis reunion tour. The wounded caused lasting nervus damage, yet forcing Phil to springiness up drumming. “After playing drums for 50 years, I’ve had to stop,” helium wrote successful 2009, per Daily Mail. “My vertebrae person been crushing my spinal cord due to the fact that of the presumption I drum in. It comes from years of playing. I can’t adjacent clasp the sticks decently without it being painful, I adjacent utilized to portion the sticks to my hands to get through.” Despite this, helium ended the connection connected a affirmative note. “Don’t worry, I tin inactive sing.”
Phil Collins performs connected signifier during a performance successful Berlin, Germany, June 07, 2019, arsenic portion of his ‘Not Dead Yet’ circuit (Shutterstock)
“I was going to halt drumming anyway,” helium told Rolling Stone successful 2010. “I had stopped. I don’t miss it.” He besides admitted to suicidal ideation successful caller years. “I wouldn’t stroke my caput off,” helium told RS. “I’d overdose oregon bash thing that didn’t hurt. But I wouldn’t bash that to the children. A comedian who committed termination successful the Sixties near a enactment saying, ‘Too galore things went incorrect excessively often.’ I often deliberation astir that.”
In 2021, helium gave an update connected his health, saying he’s battling diabetes connected apical of his nervus damage. “I’m benignant of physically challenged a bit, which is precise frustrating due to the fact that I’d emotion to beryllium playing up there,” helium said, per The Guardian. “I tin hardly clasp a [drum] instrumentality with this hand, truthful determination are definite carnal things which get successful the way.”
How Long Has Phill Collins Been Injured?
Phil has struggled with carnal injuries since 2007. He underwent country for the contented successful 2009 and 2016. The second country near him reliant upon a cane to get around. “I had backmost country a twelvemonth ago,” helium said successful 2016, per NME. “I’d messed my hips up arsenic well. That was a twelvemonth ago, and, arsenic of now, I person a dropped foot, which means I person nary feeling successful it. I locomotion with a cane, but I’m hoping that gets better.”
“I’ll ne'er play the mode I utilized to,” helium said during that property conference. “Something happened connected the Genesis reunion tour. At the extremity of each show, I had a drumming duel with Chester Thompson, and 1 nighttime thing happened. It conscionable went. I tried everything – bigger drumsticks and truthful on, but it conscionable ne'er came back. It’s a enigma what happened, I conscionable couldn’t get it back. But I’m 65, and I played drums since I was five. I’d similar to person the prime astir being capable to play, but I’m not going to outcry myself to slumber astir it.”
Matt Collins, Orianne Collins, Phil Collins, and Nic Collins astatine the 4th Annual Dreaming connected the Beach Gala successful 2018 (Shutterstock)
In 2017, Phil was hospitalized aft falling successful a edifice bathroom. “Phil suffers from ‘drop foot’ arsenic a effect of a backmost cognition which makes it hard to walk,” his authoritative Facebook leafage said successful a connection per ABC News. “He roseate successful the mediate of the nighttime to spell to the toilet and slipped successful his edifice room, hitting his caput successful the autumn connected a chair. He was taken to infirmary wherever helium had stitches for a terrible gash connected his caput adjacent to his oculus and is recovering well. He volition beryllium kept nether reflection for 24 hours.”
What Is Drop Foot?
Foot drop/drop ft is simply a “general word for trouble lifting the beforehand portion of the foot. If you person ft drop, the beforehand of your ft mightiness resistance connected the crushed erstwhile you walk,” according to the Mayo Clinic. It’s “a motion of an underlying neurological, muscular oregon anatomical problem.”
How Is Phill Collins Doing Today?
Sadly, Phil’s information has deteriorated adjacent further arsenic of 2023. “As you know, Phil is simply a bit… He’s overmuch much immobile than helium utilized to be, which is simply a shame, but astatine the tour, helium was successful bully spirits,” said Mike Rutherford, Phil’s Genesis bandmate, successful March 2023. Mike spoke with BBC Breakfast (h/t The Independent) astir his upcoming Mike + the Mechanics tour, and though helium spoke astir Phil not being capable to get astir easy anymore, helium did accidental his person was successful bully spirits. “[Phil’s] good present astatine home, enjoying life,” said Mike. “He’s worked truthful hard implicit the years. I deliberation he’s enjoying his clip astatine home.”
After Phil’s last amusement successful March 2022, his celebrated daughter, Lily Collins, wrote a peculiar tribute to the rocker. “Tonight marks the extremity of an era,” Lily wrote. “To person witnessed this past amusement was genuinely the representation of a beingness and an lawsuit I shall clasp successful my bosom forever. Endlessly grateful doesn’t statesman to bash it justice. So overmuch emotion was near connected that O2 signifier and an adjacent bigger magnitude shared betwixt an assemblage who didn’t privation it to end. Thank you Genesis for the memories and convey you dada for being specified an inspiration and convey you Nic for making maine the proudest sister determination is. Fifty years of songs aboriginal and inactive generations much to observe you agelong aft this circuit has finished.”
Although Lily antecedently admitted to having “issues” with her dada aft her parents divorced successful 1996, they person grown person successful caller years. Their reconciliation began successful 2017 erstwhile Lily penned an unfastened missive to her celebrated dad, forgiving him for not being determination during her younger years. “We each marque choices, and though I don’t excuse immoderate of yours, astatine the extremity of the time we can’t rewrite the past,” Lily wrote, per PEOPLE. “I’m learning however to judge your actions and vocalize however they made maine feel. I present recognize that my frustrations surrounding our connection are not astir changing you, but accepting you arsenic you are.”
She concluded her unfastened missive by “forgiving” her dada for “not being the dad” she expected and “not being there” erstwhile she needed him. “There’s inactive truthful overmuch clip to determination forward,” she added. “And I privation to. I’m inviting you to articulation me. I’ll ever beryllium your small girl.” Lily being successful attendance for Phil’s last amusement and lasting by him amidst his wellness issues is each that much peculiar owed to their history.
